The new UMD Global STEWARDS Training Program, funded by the National Science Foundation, welcomed its inaugural cohort of doctoral students in December. Twelve Global STEWARDS from five UMD schools and colleges (SPH, SPP, AGNR, CMNS, BSOS) will come together this year through interdisciplinary training and research opportunities aimed at creating innovative and sustainable solutions that ensure food, energy and water (FEW) security for future generations.

Deirdre Dolan, an atmospheric and oceanic science major, honored Julian Lazarus of Linganore High School in Frederick, Maryland, and Timothy Canty, an associate research professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. “[Professor Timothy Canty] has been my greatest supporter by helping me find internships and other opportunities,” Dolan said. “With his guidance, I have worked to become the first student to be accepted into the five-year combined B.S. and M.S. program in atmospheric and oceanic science. I am extremely grateful to both of my extraordinary mentors who helped me grow into the person I am today.” Canty was also named as a faculty mentor by Merrill Scholars in 2015 and 2016.

Posted on January 14, 2019

Zhanqing Li invited to give an AMS core science keynote presentation

At the recent AMS annual conference, Zhanqing Li was invited to give an AMS core science keynote presentation entitled “Can air pollution fuel extreme weather events and contributed to long-term climate changes” to a joint session for 30 min. It is one of a dozen of keynote talks during the course of the conference. Despite the government shutdown that severely affected the overall attendance, the meeting room was fully occupied with many standbys.

Posted on December 12, 2018

PhD Student Sarah Benish on NPR

AOSC PhD student Sarah Benish spent the morning at NPR with Friends of Joe's Big Idea, a program to help scientists become better communicators!

Posted on December 11, 2018

Prof Zeng Named 2018 Highly Cited Researcher

Prof. Zeng is among eight faculty members in the University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences are included on Clarivate Analytics’ 2018 list of Highly Cited Researchers, a compilation of influential names in science.

The Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Maryland, College Park invites applications for a tenure track position at the Assistant Professor level. We seek a candidate who will develop an active, externally funded research effort that will complement existing areas of expertise within our Department, teach at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and is able to make use of the unique resources provided by the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, the state of Maryland, as well as the rest of the greater Washington DC region. Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to biogeochemical cycles, Chesapeake Bay, modeling the interaction between human and natural systems, the oceans and polar science.

A set of future water sector assumptions have been developed for the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) and implemented in the Integrated Assessment Model GCAM. Assumptions are made for infrastructure and efficiency changes across the agricultural, electricity, manufacturing, and municipal sectors. These assumptions follow the storylines of each of the SSP scenarios and are added to GCAM to analyze global water demands through the end of the century. This study represents the first comprehensive set of water sector assumptions that have been applied to the SSP scenarios and have been run with an Integrated Assessment Model while including constraints on the availability of water. The study has found that while water constraints act to decrease water demands, future infrastructure changes in the water sector can increase water savings by up to 32% in 2100, resulting in large potential changes in regional and global water scarcity. Second, in SSP1, the focus on sustainability and the ability to invest in future water-efficiency improvements has the potential to lead to end-of-century water demands lower than present day demands despite a higher standard of living and similar global population. Finally, future water-demand changes in the SSPs depend strongly on adoption and implementation of water saving technologies in low-income regions.

Posted on April 24, 2018

Director General of Resources for Science, Technology and Higher Education, the Ministry for Research, Technology and Higher Education, Indonesia

4/23/2018 Meeting of AOSC and the Director General of Resources for
Science, Technology and Higher Education, the Ministry for Research,
Technology and Higher Education, Indonesia to explore a new graduate
educational exchange program. This was arranged by AOSC faculty
member Dwi Susanto.

Posted on April 2, 2018

Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm Named Chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at UMD

Congratulations to AOSC and ESSIC's Sumant Nigam and AOSC graduate student (and lead author) Natalie Thomas, co-authors of a new paper, “20th-Century Climate Change over Africa: Seasonal Hydroclimate Trends and Sahara Desert Expansion,” published online today in the Journal of Climate. The results of the study suggest that the Sahara Desert expanded by about 10 percent during the period spanning 1920-2013. The research is the first to assess century-scale changes to the boundaries of the world’s largest desert and suggests that other deserts could be expanding as well.

On November 15, 2017, AOSC once again showed our strong presence in fluid dynamics research at the Annual Burgers Symposium. Professor Fuqing Zhang of Penn State University gave the Burgers Lecture on “The -5/3' atmospheric energy spectra, and the ultimate limit of weather predictability.” Our own Professor Raghu Murtugudde on “Indian summer monsoon: natural variability or a portent of what is to come?” Four young scientists from AOSC presented their work in the poster Session: Yun Liu on "A Joint land Atmosphere Carbon Data Assimilation System"; Cory Martin on "Evaluation of High-Resolution WRF-Chem Simulation of CO2 in the Baltimore/Washington Area”; William Miller on "Simulating the Unusual Looping Track and Rapid Intensification of Hurricane Joaquin (2015)”; Nancy Qin on "Numerical Simulation of Rapid Intensifying Hurricane Patricia (2015)”.

Congratulations to William Miller who won the best poster award for CMNS!

Posted on November 9, 2017

AOSC Research Featured in the Climate Science Special Report

The attached article, published in the UMD Diamondback, was written by AOSC Undergraduate Greta Easthom.

The report, which is the first part of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, produced every four years by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, was released by the Trump administration. The report features information on "documented changes in surface, atmospheric and oceanic temperatures; melting glaciers; diminishing snow coverRead More.

Posted on July 17, 2017

Open Assistant Professor Faculty Position in Data Assimilation

The Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science (AOSC) at the University of Maryland invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in data assimilation. The successful candidate is expected to be a leader in the development of advanced methodologies in atmospheric, ocean, land surface, cryospheric, and biogeochemical data assimilation, and to develop an independently funded program building on the activities of the thriving interdisciplinary weather and chaos group. Preference will be given to candidates who will further strengthen the collaboration between the University and nearby national laboratories including: NOAA’s National Weather Service and its National Centers for Environmental Prediction, NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service and its Center for Satellite Applications and Research and Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation, NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, and the Naval Research Laboratory. The candidate should demonstrate research accomplishments of originality and depth with the potential to be an international scientific leader in data assimilation. The candidate should also have a strong commitment to the educational mission of the Department, including graduate student mentoring.

The Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science especially encourages applications from women, underrepresented minorities and those who can contribute to a climate of inclusivity. Candidates who have experience working with a diverse range of faculty, students and groups are encouraged to identify their experiences in these areas.

The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. UMD is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected status in all aspects of employment. UMD is actively engaged in recruiting, hiring, and promoting underrepresented communities; minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Posted on May 10, 2017

AOSC student Kelsey Malloy named UMD undergraduate researcher of the year

AOSC Senior Kelsey Malloy has been named a 2017 University of Maryland Undergraduate Researcher of the Year for her work on improving forecasts of rapid cyclogenesis and hurricane force-wind events. For the past two year, Kelsey has been working with a team of researchers at the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center, led by Dr. Michael Folmer and Lt. Joseph Phillips, to use the latest data from the Himawari-8 satellite combined with analysis techniques developed for use with the GOES-16 satellite. Kelsey's work will be used be used by forecasters to improve the safety of mariners at sea.

This has been a great year for Kelsey as earlier this year, she became a
Phillip Merrill Presidential Scholar. This fall, Kelsey will enroll in the University of Miami's PhD. program working on climate variability and subseasonal to seasonal predictions with Dr. Ben Kirtman.

Posted on April 14, 2017

New BS/MS Combined Program in AOSC

UMD has just approved our new BS/MS Combined Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. This program will be available beginning Fall 2017. More details will be posted soon.

Posted on February 21, 2017

Prof. Ross Salawitch discusses the Paris Agreement.

Flooded and in the midst of a strong Pacific storm system, the audience of KCAL was
looking for some clarity as to what type of progress has been made in the fields of
weather prediction and climate modeling. Professor Ross Salawitch was there to
provide the answers. On February 18, Salawitch appeared on the CBS Los Angeles
affiliate, KCAL-9, to discuss his new book, “Paris Climate Agreement: Beacon of
Hope,” and explain prevalent misconceptions in the climate system. He explained
the different reduction targets countries had set in the agreement, highlighting the
fact that the U.S. under the agreement is currently committed to a 27 percent
reduction in carbon emissions. Salawitch commended Jerry Brown and California
for their efforts in reducing carbon emissions. The hosts brought up the prevalent
misconception that because winters are still cold and wet in California, climate
change cannot be a pertinent issue. Salawitch used this segueway to explain the
fundamental difference of climate and weather, conveying to audience members
that no conclusion about our current climate state could be derived from a mere
observation in the weather.

The UMD campus fluid dynamics community gathered at the Thirteenth Annual Symposium of the Burgers Program on November 16, 2016. Prof. James A. Carton gave a talk on "Arctic Climate Change.” Dr. JungHoon Shin presented his work with Prof. Da-Lin Zhang in the Grad student/postdoc poster session.

Posted on October 5, 2016

Honors for AOSC Faculty and Alums

This week faculty member Tony Busalacchi is formally being inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. Tony has also, as you know, taken on Directorship of UCAR.

This month distinguished alumnus Dr. Curtis Mobley (*77) will be presented with the 2016 Oceanography Society Jerlov award for his work on applying radiative transfer theory to optical oceanography and ocean color remote sensing, and his hydrolight software.

Weather and environmental forecasts made several weeks to months in advance can someday be as widely used and essential as current predictions of tomorrow’s weather are, but first more research and sustained investment are needed, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.More Info

Posted on August 1, 2016

OPENS SEARCH FOR ESSIC DIRECTOR/UMD FACULTY

The University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) is conducting an open search for the Director of its Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC).

A local Terp will be found in the unlikeliest of places this summer, McCarthy, Alaska. Casey Cavanagh, a first year graduate student in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, was selected to participate in the Glaciology Summer Camp, managed by the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and sponsored by NASA, The International Glaciological Society (IGS), The International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IASC), and the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG). McCarthy is small village (with a handful of inhabitants remaining during the winter months) that is located at the base the Wrangell Mountains near the Canadian border, where large mountain glaciers terminate at the edge of the town. Out of the over 100 applicants, approximately 25 students will participate in the field camp offered every other year. The course is intended to provide glaciology graduate students with a comprehensive overview of the physics of glaciers and current research frontiers in glaciology with a focus on quantitative glaciology, modeling and remote sensing of glaciers and ice sheet dynamics. The students will also get to participate in field expedition work on the terminating glaciers. In addition, each student will present an AGU-style poster presentation on his or her present work in glaciology. Casey’s research will focus on the effects that draining saturated crevasses have on localized velocity changes of Jakobshavn Isbrae in Western Greenland.

Walter R. Tribett, AOSC class of 2014, is an observer of the 21st meeting of the Conference of the Parties, United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change, in Paris. If you'd like to follow his daily diary, send him a friend request

Posted on October 26, 2015

Graduate Research and Teaching Assistantships and Fellowships

The Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Maryland invites applications for graduate research and teaching assistantships and fellowships in atmospheric and oceanic science, especially climate variability and change, water and carbon cycles, atmospheric chemistry and aerosols, hurricanes, and atmospheric and oceanic modeling and data assimilation.-- More Information Here --

Posted on October 23, 2015

Greenland Ice Sheet

Numerous and extensive changes have been observed over the Greenland Ice Sheet in response to regional warming. The coupling of surface melt and ice dynamics has an important impact on ice sheet mass loss to the ocean and sea-level rise. This summer, Dr. Derrick Lampkin has been involved in several efforts aimed at understanding these processes better. During the month of May, Dr. Lampkin participated in a field expedition to the Greenland Ice Sheet as part of his involvement in using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to continuously monitor ice movement. Dr. Lampkin was involved in collecting data and maintaining an array of five GPS receivers that are permanently embedded into the ice. These embedded antennas collect data on the displacement of ice in three dimensions, particularly during the summer months when copious amounts of surface melt water infiltrate into the ice sheet and accelerate ice movement. Dr. Lampkin collaborated with Dr. Jay Zwally (ESSIC, AOSC) and Konrad Steffen (ETH) to retrieve and process the previous seasons data.

Additionally, Dr. Lampkin has been involved in the recent discovery of a new process involved in the Greenland Ice Sheet’s supraglacial hydrology. Dr. Lampkin co-authored a work published in the Journal Cryosphere, ‘Wintertime storage of water in buried supraglacial lakes across the Greenland Ice Sheet’, detailing the discovery of water buried and persisting throughout the winter months in frozen-over supraglacial lake basins. “It was surprising for us to find water sticking around in these basins through the winter. This single phenomena could be an important organizing factor in the way surface water gets down into the ice”, said Dr. Lampkin. The persistence of buried water in the lake basins has important implications for the evolution of the supraglacial hydrology. Lake basins with persistent melt water resident throughout the winter result in a positive water balance at the start of the melt season, resulting in easily overfilling these basins and the formation of supraglacial channels that enhance the magnitude of surface melt water infiltration into the ice sheet. This work was supported through the extraordinary contributions of two our department’s undergraduates, Casey Joseph and Lynn Montgomery.

Posted on April 29, 2015

AOSC Students Receive Hollings Scholarships

Two AOSC students have been selected to receive NOAA Ernest F. Hollings scholarships. Undergraduates Kelsey Malloy and Jonathan Seibert received the awards, along with six other UMD undergraduate students.

Posted on April 24, 2015

Dr. Eugenia Kalnay elected

Eugenia Kalnay, holder of The Eugenia Brin Professorship in Data Assimilation and Distinguished University Professor has been elected to the very prestigious American
Academy of Arts and Sciences.
more

Posted on March 30, 2015

Obituary for Eugene Rasmusson

Eugene (Gene) Rasmusson, member of the National Academy of Engineering and highly regarded Research Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science was best known for his pioneering study of the observed structure of ocean-atmosphere variations in the tropical Pacific that underpin El Niño. However, his interests encompassed many other environmental problems as well. Indeed, Gene was an interdisciplinary scientist long before it was fashionable to be one. Gene started his professional career at NOAA, but joined the University of Maryland in 1986 as a Senior Research Scientist in what is now the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. He was appointed Research Professor, with an emeritus rank in 2000. During his years at the University of Maryland he played an important role in fostering the growth of the Atmospheric and Oceanic Science department.

Dr Li receives the first of two prestigous awards at the AGU
metting in San Francisco. He also received the Yoram J. Kaufmann
award.

Posted on November 24, 2014

Dr Zeng leads the investigation about the increase of atmospheric CO2

A paper published in Nature magazine led by Prof. Ning Zeng published in the 20 November 2014 issue of
Nature suggests the agricultural revolution has been the primary driver of the
increase in the seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2 over the past 5 decades.

Posted on September 17, 2014

Dr. Susanto leads oceanographics cruise in the Lombok Strait

AOSC research scientist Dwi Susanto deploys a towed oceanographic measurement system in Lombok Strait between
island of Bali and Lombok, Indonesia. these measurements help to quantify the exchanges between the western
Pacific Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean, a key part of the general circulation of the ocean.

Posted on July 24, 2014

Daryl Kleist joins AOSC as Assistant Professor

Dr. Daryl Kleist is a meteorologist by training, with particular interest in mid-latitude synoptic
meteorology, severe weather, forecasting/predictability and data assimilation techniques. He joins us from NOAA NCEP
and brings us unique
scientific expertise and further strengthens the growing partnership between UMD and the
operational community

Posted on March 19, 2014

AOSC researchers sited in the Guardian

An article discussing the paper HANDY, written by Safa Motesharrei,
Jorge Rivas and Eugenia Kalnay on societal collapses and the impact of both
inequality and excessive depletion of Nature, was written and published
by Nafeez Ahmed in the Guardian.
The paper is coming out in the Journal of Ecological Economics on April 1.

The 6th WMO International Symposium on Data Assimilation on UMD campus

Kayo Ide and Tony Busalacchi served on the Local Organizing committee of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 6th International Symposium on Data Assimilation chaired by Daryl Kleist (Alumni, AOSC), on campus at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center on October 7-11, 2013
Originally scheduled to be at the NOAA National Center for Weather and Climate Prediction at M-Square, due to the US government
shutdown that had started in the week prior, the Committee relocated the Symposium venue to the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center on campus. VPR Pat O'Shea gave the Welcome Remarks at the Symposium Dinner. AOSC along with CMNS, CSCAMM, ESSIC, and IPST, were the sponsors of the Symposium, in partnership with WMO, NOAA, and NASA. The university received considerable recognition by the international attendees for making the symposium a success and saving it from cancellation.

Posted on October 15, 2013

The 6th WMO International Symposium on Data Assimilation at the UMD campus

Kayo Ide and Tony Busalacchi served on the planning committee of the WMO 6th International Symposium on Data Assimilation chaired by Daryl Kleist (Alumni, AOSC), at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center on October 7-11, 2013

The program offered lectures and a computer laboratory on fundamentals and emerging issues in data assimilation.
It was hosted at CSCAMM for June 3-14, 2013, co-sponsored by the UMD Burgers Program, NSF, and ONR.
The lecturers were Kayo Ide (AOSC/CSCAMM/IPST), and Eugenia Kalnay (AOSC/IPST), Brian Hunt (MATH/IPST) of UMD,
along with Jeff Anderson (NCAR), Andy Majda (Courant Institute), and Andrew Stuart (U. Warwick).

Posted on April 1, 2013

AOSC Hosts 3rd Annual Eugene Rasmusson Lecture

Friends and collegues welcomed Gene and MIchael Wallace presented the talk. Click
here for more pictures of the event.

Posted on March 12, 2013

New AOSC Faculty Position

The Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science (AOSC) at the University of
Maryland invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in data assimilation. The
successful candidate is expected to be a leader in the development of advanced
computational algorithms in atmospheric, ocean, land surface, and biogeochemical data
assimilation, and to develop an independently funded program building on the activities
of the thriving interdisciplinary weather and chaos group.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

Posted on March 4, 2013

AOSC Students Visit NISTStudents in AOSC 634, "Air Sampling and Analysis" visited Jay Hendrick's high precision pressure measurements and standards laboratory at NIST where they learned absolute pressure standards and how to calibrate a barometer

Posted on February 18, 2013

AOSC Adjunct Professor Louis W. Uccellini named new NWS Director

AOSC Adjunct Professor Louis W. Uccellini has become the 16th director of
NOAA's National Weather Service starting February 10, 2013.
More information is available at NOAA News. (Photo credit: NOAA)

Keynote speaker Prof. Henk Dijkistra of Utrecht University, the Netherlands, gave a
lecture on "Will the Atlantic Ocean Circulation Collapse before the end of this Century?". Four AOSC students and postdocs participated in the Poster Session. Stefan Cecelski won the CMNS Best Poster Award.

Posted on November 14, 2012

AOSC now has a Facebook page !

Click on the Facebook logo above to sign-up today !

Posted on October 27, 2012

Hurricane Sandy threatens Mid-Atlantic Coast

For more detailed information about Hurricane Sandy, click on the following links:

AOSC Professor Eugenia Kalnay's book, "Atmospheric Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Predictability",
was translated into Korean by former PhD student Seung-Jae Lee and Drs. JI-Sun Kang and Hye-Lim Yoo. The Cambridge Press work had a publication date of July 15,2012 for the translated version.

Posted on June 4, 2012

The NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction is nearing completion at the University of Maryland's M-Square Research and Technology
Park, in College Park. The office and research complex will include NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction; Satellite, Data, and Information Service; and Air Resources Laboratory. When finished in 2012, the center will be the U.S. focal point for ocean and atmospheric forecasts, including outlooks for the four seasons and hurricanes. More...

Posted on May 1, 2012

Department faculty and students participated in the 2nd Annual National Science and Engineering Festival at the Washington D.C Convention Center.

Exhibits included a demonstration of the "Heat Island Effect" and the "Challenges of Weather Prediction".

Posted on March 5, 2012

New AOSC Undergraduate Major Begins !

The first majors in the new undergraduate degree program in atmospheric
and oceanic science meet with the Director of the Undergraduate program Ning Zeng and Associate Director
Jeff Stehr to discuss the program opportunities, job prospects, and the upcoming arrival of
National Centers for Environmental Prediction to our campus.

Graduate student, Manisha Geneshen, and postdoc fellows, Steve Greybush and Ji-Sun
Kang, participated in the poster sessions at the 8th Annual Burgers Symposium of
Fluid Dynamics that took place on campus, November 16, 2011. They presented their research projects to
campus peers from CMNS and the School of Engineering

Posted on October 18, 2011

AOSC announces launch of Undergraduate major

The department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science announces the addition of an undergraduate major to its educational programs. Click here for more information or select "Undergraduate Major Program" from the Education drop-down menu above.

Posted on October 3, 2011

UMD hosts a Forward Look Workshop on Data Assimilation

UMD hosted a Forward Look Workshop
"Ocean Integration in the Earth System Prediction Capability (ESPC)" at the UMUC Conference Center on Sept. 27-29. UMD faculty (Ide) served on the organizing committee along with the colleagues from NRL Stennis, NOAA, and MIT. Many AOSC faculty
contributed, AOSC postdocs and students (Amezcua, Greybush, Kang, Sabol) participated in and provided assistance to the workshop.

Posted on August 30, 2011

UMD and NASA scientists collaborate

UMD and NASA scientists collaborated on the DISCOVER-AQ mission in July which consisted of coordinated observations from several satellite instruments, three aircraft platforms, and many surface measurements. AOSC DISCOVER-AQ participants (including Allen, Canty, Dickerson, Marufu, Pickering, Salawitch, Stehr, and many students) will be using DISCOVER-AQ data to improve understanding of factors responsible for elevated levels of surface ozone and aerosols,
which are harmful to health.

Posted on August 16, 2011

Department offers summer course for middle school students

In July, the AOSC department offered the summer course 'Why Weather Works' for middle school students as part of the Young Scholars Discovery program of UMD.

Congratulations to all four AOSC graduate students who did their department proud by giving terrific talks; Matus Martini, John Yorks, Anthony Santorelli, and to Martina Ricko, who won the award for best talk in her category.

Posted on April 7, 2011

AOSC Student Appointed to the Ernest F. Hollings Program

Undergraduate Student Researcher, Jason Chun Yu Wong, has been appointed to the NOAA Class of 2011 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program. Jason shares this National Honor with the department.

Posted on March 31, 2011

Atmospheric transport and removal of hazardous material from the Fukushima reactor in Japan.

Please help the AOSC undergrad and grad students raise money to purchase a weather balloon / radiosonde system for use in research, general forecasting, and hands-on experience in the classroom. Any and all tax-deductible donations to the project are highly appreciated. For more info go to: http://www.launch.umd.edu/project/903